Vietnam Photo Tour

October 1- 10, 2027

Vietnam, a land of breathtaking contrasts and timeless charm, captivates with its natural beauty and rich cultural tapestry. Join Jim for an extraordinary visual journey in one of Asia's most beautiful countries. Drones are welcome on this photography tour! (No drone license is required). Whether you are taking pictures from ground-level or from an elevated perspective, you will love Vietnam's stunning landscapes, warm and welcoming people, and super saturated color. The countryside is a patchwork of lush green fields interspersed with towering limestone karsts and meandering rivers. In villages like Hoi An, traditional stilt houses and ancient temples evoke a sense of timeless tranquility. This is a photo tour not to be missed!

What you will learn on this photo tour:

-- Using HDR at twilight

-- Focus stacking with telephotos for landscapes

-- Advantages of panos instead of wide angle lenses

-- How you can avoid using histograms all the time

-- How to use ND filters to eliminate people

-- Advantages of using manual exposure mode

-- Identifying S curves for strong compositions

-- Working with foreign models

ITINERARY

Day 1, October 13, Monday

Arrive in Hanoi, Vietnam (airport code HAN) on this day, and after clearing customs and immigration, you'll be promptly transferred to our 5-star hotel. Our adventure begins with a visit to a family in a small village known for their intricate bamboo weavings for making fish traps. They make all kinds of both attractive and functional products using a centuries-old technique. This is great portrait photography, too. Excited over our first taste of award-winning photography, we return to the hotel to enjoy a welcome dinner and to get to know the other members in the tour. Jim recommends arriving one day early to recover from jet lag and to start the tour on the September 30 refreshed and rested. Overnight Grand Plaza Hanoi Hotel, Hanoi or the Novotel Hanoi Thai Ha Hotel.

Day 2, October 14, Tuesday

This will be an awesome day for photography. Our adventure begins with a visit to the enchanting incense village. The super saturated color, the patterns and design, and a worker posing in the midst of all the color make stunning shots. We arrive early to avoid other tourists. This is an awesome drone shot as well. Next, we visit a soy sauce production company. We'll capture the traditional craftsmanship and time-honored techniques that define this culinary cornerstone. This is a good place to look for strong graphic design, leading lines, and striking patterns either from the ground or using a drone. After lunch, photograph the production of colorful sleeping mats from an elevated perspective. The mixture of colors and patterns is striking. Overnight Grand Plaza Hanoi Hotel, Hanoi or Novotel Hanoi Thai Ha Hotel.

Day 3, October 15, Wednesday

In the enchanting Tam Con Valley near Hanoi there is a group of women whose hobby it is to artistically arrange floating water lilies in beautiful designs. We photograph this colorful and graphically dynamic scene with a medium telephoto lens. The mirror reflections as seen from ground level add to the beauty of the scene. From a drone, you get an entirely different perspective and these images, also, are striking. After lunch we visit the ancient Duong Lam village which still functions as it did centuries ago. It is a living museum of traditional Vietnamese rural life where we capture candid moments of locals tending to their daily routines amidst centuries-old houses and narrow alleys rich with cultural heritage. Overnight Grand Plaza Hanoi Hotel, Hanoi or the Novotel Hanoi Thai Ha Hotel.

Day 4, October 16, Thursday

Vietnam has the most beautiful rice terraces in Asia. Today we leave Hanoi and head toward the Tu Le Valley, renowned for its expansive rice terraces that cascade down the mountainsides like natural stairways. Created by hand over centuries, it is indeed astonishing that people could literally carve entire mountains for the sole purpose to increase food production. There are endless ways in which to compose this unique landscape. You’ll want to capture the intricate patterns and vibrant hues of rural Vietnam with both telephoto lenses and a wide angle. If you’ve brought a drone on the tour, this is truly an outstanding opportunity to take aware-winning images. Overnight in the beautiful Mu Cang Chai Garrya Resort.

Day 5, October 17, Friday

The day begins at the breathtaking Mam Xoi viewpoint in Mu Cang Chai, where the sunrise bathes the rolling landscapes in a golden glow. We spend the day wandering through the stunning rice terraces of Mu Cang Chai, each vista revealing vibrant green fields framed by towering mountains.

Later we photograph the Hmong people in a corn shack with daylight streaming in from outside. In the same village, there are stunning horseshoe-shaped rice terraces that offer powerful graphic designs. In the late afternoon, we capture the last rays of light on the elegant curves of this agricultural marvel. If a cloud cover blocks the sun, the diffused light is also beautiful. Either way, it is awesome photography! Overnight Garrya Mu Cang Chai Resort, Mu Cang Chai Town

Day 6, October 18, Saturday

This morning we say goodbye to the awe-inspiring landscapes we loved photographing. By afternoon, we drive back to Hanoi and board a flight to Hue. We then drive to our a luxurious 5-star hotel and get ready for some great night photography. Melia Vinpearl Hue Hotel, Hue City.

Day 7, October 19, Sunday

We enjoy a great day in Hue starting with the sunrise over the lagoon just outside the city. Next, explore the grand Imperial City alongside beautiful Vietnamese models dressed in traditional outfits, bringing authenticity and cultural depth to every photo. Their exquisite white outfits contrasts perfectly with the detailed architecture and bold colors of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Later, we capture fishermen casting their nets in time-honored fashion. You'll want to use a fast shutter speed to freeze the nets in various shapes. This is followed by a visit to the paper flower village. We will take pictures of a woman at work creates colorful and detailed flowers out of paper. The day winds down with a tranquil lantern ceremony along the river during the captivating blue hour. Overnight Melia Vinpearl Hue Hotel, Hue City

Day 8, October 20, Monday

We begin the day early to capture the first light over the peaceful lagoon of Hue where fishermen glide across still waters — an ethereal setting. After sunrise, we visit the Thanh Tien paper flower village, where artisans craft vibrant blossoms by hand. The vivid colors and skilled hands at work provide a wonderful opportunity for both detail shots and environmental portraits. We also make a brief stop at the abandoned water park on the outskirts of Hue, an intriguing and surreal location.

Later, we journey to the ancient town of Hoi An. As golden hour approaches, we frame the historic riverfront bathed in sunset light. After dusk, the town comes alive with the glow of lanterns and the vibrant energy of the Hoi A night market. Capture the magic of Vietnam after dark. Overnight Wafaifo Hoi An Hotel, Hoi An City

Day 9, October 21, Tuesday

This early morning we capture the timeless artistry of local fishermen as they expertly cast their nets. Later, we have a portrait session with madam Song, the lady who dubbed as “most beatiful elderly lady of Vietnam”. We continue our day with our visit to a sewing net village, and a hidden place where workers collect colorful sedges to make sleeping mats. Overnight Wafaifo Hoi An Hotel, Hoi An City.

Day 10, October 22, Wednesday

Today we’ll visit a serene fishing village for a morning photography session. Local women, gracefully mending nets, seem to float on a cloud,

blending skill with the sea’s rhythm. These moments will create lasting memories and stunning photographs of coastal life. We then driving to Da Nang and overnight in an airport hotel.

Day 11, October 23, Thursday

Arrange your flight home at any time from DaNang's International Airport (code DAD), knowing you've taken amazing pictures of a very beautiful and amazing country.

Tour cost: $7990. Includes 10 nights lodging based on double occupancy in superior hotels, all ground transportation, two domestic flights, all meals, airport transfers, site entry fees, model fees, non-alcoholic beverages daily, services of an English-speaking local guide, photo instruction, and critiques on demand.

Single supplement fee (to have your own room): $990

Not included: International airfare, trip cancellation insurance, medical evacuation insurance, alcohol, visa, tips for guide and drivers.